Manned by Crippen and John W. Young, the shuttle Columbia, the world’s first reusable spacecraft, was launched on April 12, 1981. The two astronauts landed the airplanelike craft on April 14, after having orbited Earth 36 times. Crippen later commanded the second flight of the space shuttle Challenger. This flight (June 18–24, 1983) included the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, and made Crippen the first to fly in two shuttle missions.

space shuttle ColumbiaThe launch and landing in 1981 of the first orbital flight of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia, manned by astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

In 1984 he commanded two more shuttle flights. STS-41-C (Challenger, April 6–13, 1984) was the first mission in which a satellite, the malfunctioning Solar Maximum Mission, was repaired in Earth orbit. He then commanded STS-41-G (Challenger, October 5–13, 1984), which was the first spaceflight with a seven-person crew and during which astronaut Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space.

From 1984 Crippen was a NASA administrator, during which time he was director of the space shuttle program (1990–92) and then director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (1992–95). After leaving the space program, he worked in private aerospace companies until his retirement in 2001.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher, Senior Editor.